Funds for Master Plan of Barranqueras Port Complex

(Buenos Aires, September 22, 2009).- CAF granted non-reimbursable technical cooperation funds to the Port Administration, Barranqueras Port for preparation of a pre-investment study. The agreement was signed by María Ángela Holguín, CAF director-representative in Argentina, and Jorge Capitanich, governor of Chaco province, which will benefit from the funds.

During the signing María Ángela Holguín said, "Barranqueras Port is located on the right bank of Paraná river and, because of its location on the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, is one of the ports strategically positioned for playing a major role in developing an important sector in the area of influence of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway Integration and Development Corridor, part of the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA), led by CAF and other multilateral financial institutions of the region."

With preparation of the Master Plan, the Port Administration - Barranqueras Port, executing agency of the funds, is analyzing the current situation of the markets serviced by the port and their potential, analyzing medium and long term trends. The next step will be to design the strategy to improve the national and international positioning of the port, especially in the Argentine port system through integration with other transport networks.

Improvement of the operating conditions of Barranqueras Port is one of the projects which are part of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway Integration and Development Corridor, of the IIRSA initiative. Based on its location in northeast Argentina, the port is destined to become a multimodal transfer port for commodities (soy, wheat, corn, minerals) produced in the region and shipped to Buenos Aires and export markets.

Permanent maintenance of this navigable route will be possible following partial reactivation of the Belgrano Cargas Railway (Avia Terai-Barranqueras section) which is being executed with the support of the national government, completion of the dredging of the port, and the actions taken by the Santa Fe Waterway concession holder to the north. However, despite having road and rail access, Barranqueras Port suffers from infrastructure and operating limitations which prevent it from playing a full role. Preparation of the Master Plan and its implementation will overcome these limitations, contributing to reducing transport costs in the project's area of influence and improving the competitiveness of production in the area.